Seroxat In 1st Major Market For Panic

SmithKline Beecham's selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor Seroxat (paroxetine) has been granted a license in the UK for the treatment of sufferers of panic disorder. This is the second approval for the drug; it has already been launched for this indication in Austria.

For panic, paroxetine should be taken as two 20mg tablets in the morning, a dose which is slightly higher than that generally used in patients with depression. The drug is the only SSRI available for this indication. Currently, tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazpines (especially alprazolam) are most widely used in panic disorder sufferers. Paroxetine has shown therapeutic superiority to clomipramine in a comparative study, and clearly has advantages over the benzodiazepines in that it is non-sedating and without the potential for addiction.

In Europe, panic disorder is not as well recognized as in the USA, but SB hopes that the availability of a more effective treatment could help focus attention on the problem and expand the market for drug treatments. Other drugs in development for panic disorder include 5-HT3 antagonists, such as Glaxo Wellcome's ondansetron (Marketletter November 20).